Kule Folklore Centre at the U of A

Kule Folklore Centre at the U of A Kule Folklore Centre - visit our website www.ukrfolk.ca Interpreting culture

📣 Event Announcement | September 5 “You Are an Expert. Now Act Like One”The Director of the Kule Folklore Centre, Dr. Ol...
08/27/2025

📣 Event Announcement | September 5 “You Are an Expert. Now Act Like One”

The Director of the Kule Folklore Centre, Dr. Oleksandr Pankieiev, will moderate an upcoming workshop examining the role of advocacy in scholarly settings, with a particular focus on Ukrainian Studies and its potential to foster meaningful public engagement.

📅 Date: Friday, September 5, 2025
🕛 Time: 12:00 PM MT
📍 Location: Henderson Hall, Rutherford Library, University of Alberta (Edmonton)

The workshop will be led by Nina Murray, retired U.S. diplomat and current Director of the Connect Program at Razom for Ukraine. She is also a Ukrainian-American poet and translator, and the author of the poetry collections Glapthorn Circular and Alcestis in the Underworld.

Her award-winning translations include Oksana Zabuzhko’s Museum of Abandoned Secrets and Oksana Lutsyshyna’s Ivan and Phoebe. Her translation of Lesia Ukrainka’s Cassandra was staged at London’s Omnibus Theatre in 2022 and went on tour to Cambridge and Oxford in 2023.

This event will emphasize the importance of advocacy in advancing the visibility of Ukrainian cultural and scholarly contributions, strengthening academic discourse, and building meaningful connections between research and community initiatives.

The event is open to researchers, students, and members of the wider community. No registration required.

Organized by Disrupted Ukrainian Scholars and Students (DUSS UAlberta), with support from the Kule Institute for Advanced Study (KIAS), the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies (CIUS), the Kule Folklore Centre, and Razom for Ukraine.

Ukraine regained its independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, fulfilling a long-standing national ...
08/24/2025

Ukraine regained its independence in 1991 with the dissolution of the Soviet Union, fulfilling a long-standing national aspiration for sovereignty, democratic governance, and self-determination. Yet, the struggle to preserve that independence continues.

In 2014, Russia violated Ukraine’s territorial integrity by launching an unjustified war through the occupation of Crimea and parts of Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts. In February 2022, Russia escalated this war into a full-scale invasion, an act of aggression marked by systematic violations of international humanitarian law, widespread civilian suffering, and attempts to erase Ukrainian identity and sovereignty.

On this Ukrainian Independence Day, the Kule Folklore Centre affirms its unwavering solidarity with the people of Ukraine in their ongoing defense of freedom, cultural heritage, and the right to determine their future.

source: https://www.cfr.org/timeline/ukraines-struggle-independence-russias-shadow

08/23/2025

𝘼 𝙃𝙖𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙏𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙚 by Serhiy Zhadan
Translated by Nina Murray
2-7 September, 2025 | Bleviss Laboratory Theatre (FAB 1-63), University of Alberta

A dramatization of the Russian invasion of a town in Eastern Ukraine in 2014. Supporting opposing sides, the inhabitants experience apocalyptic events. As they choose to counter each other or unite, will they find something to live for?

𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲𝘀:
Sept. 2 & 3 (previews) | 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 4 (opening) | 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 5 | 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 6 (matinee) | 1:30 p.m.
Sept. 6 | 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 7 (matinee) | 3 p.m

Get your tickets today!: ualberta.ca/en/drama/on-stage/a-harvest-truce.html
__________
𝘚𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘪𝘺 𝘡𝘩𝘢𝘥𝘢𝘯’𝘴 "𝘈 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘤𝘦" 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘦, 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘜𝘬𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘢𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘦, 𝘊𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘥𝘨𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘴.
| Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta | University of Alberta Department of Drama | HURI Books

The Kule Folklore Centre is pleased to announce a new arrival to the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives (BMUFA...
08/22/2025

The Kule Folklore Centre is pleased to announce a new arrival to the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives (BMUFA): the exhibition catalogue "Nowa Ikona – W Drodze."

This publication showcases the vibrant works featured in an international exhibition of contemporary icon art, representing the creative efforts of artists from Poland, Ukraine, and neighboring countries. Focused purely on the visual presentation, the catalogue contains reproductions of icons without accompanying essays, offering an immersive glimpse into current trends and cross-cultural artistic exchange.

Compiled collaboratively by teams from MAW (Międzynarodowa Akademia Więzi), Stowarzyszenie Przyjaciół Nowicy, and exhibition curators connected to international icon workshops, "Nowa Ikona – W Drodze" stands as a unique resource for researchers and members of the Ukrainian Canadian community interested in sacred art, transnational cultural ties, and the evolution of icon painting today.

For researchers, the catalogue serves as a valuable primary source documenting modern iconographic creativity, artistic networks, and community collaboration. Explore this new addition in BMUFA to deepen your understanding of contemporary expressions of tradition and faith.

👉To access the catalogue firsthand, schedule an appointment by emailing us at [email protected]

08/09/2025

The KuFC sticker is now proudly repping up north on the “Welcome to Yukon” sign.

There are nearly 2,000 Ukrainians living in Yukon today, including both Ukrainian Canadians and newcomers. Established in January 2023, the Ukrainian Canadian Association of Yukon, Yukon Support Ukraine 🇺🇦🇨🇦, has been working closely with the Whitehorse Firefighters’ Charitable Society and other partners to offer settlement support, strengthen cultural connections, and provide humanitarian aid.

Explore Our Marketplace for Kule Reads📚We are pleased to highlight a significant contribution to the documentation of Uk...
08/09/2025

Explore Our Marketplace for Kule Reads📚

We are pleased to highlight a significant contribution to the documentation of Ukrainian cultural heritage, now available through our Marketplace:

Ukrainian Ritual Breads
Author: Patricia (Pat) Hawryliw

This publication offers an in-depth look at the tradition of Ukrainian ritual breads, which have historically played a central role in rites of passage such as weddings, funerals, and religious holidays. Combining visual recipe guides with ethnographic context, the booklet serves both as a practical manual and as a preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

Patricia Hawryliw, the author, is an educator, musician, and long-time cultural and community advocate from Saskatoon, who has dedicated decades to teaching and sharing Ukrainian traditions.

Price: $15
Language: English
👉Click here to order: https://marketplace.ualberta.ca/products/ukrainian-ritual-breads?_pos=1&_sid=86a663deb&_ss=r

The Kule Folklore Centre at the U of A is proud to be a partner in the Summer Institute “Witnessing the War on Ukraine: ...
07/31/2025

The Kule Folklore Centre at the U of A is proud to be a partner in the Summer Institute “Witnessing the War on Ukraine: Testimonies as Cultural Heritage for Future Memory Landscapes,” currently taking place in Uzhhorod, Ukraine (July 28–31, 2025).

Members of our team are actively involved in organising the Institute and shaping the conversations around testimony, memory, and cultural heritage.

Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, Director of the Canadian Institute of Ukrainian Studies and the Huculak Chair in Ukrainian Culture and Ethnography, key organiser and speaker, spoke about oral history as a vital method of preserving wartime testimony. She also reflected on the role of oral historians in Ukraine as both witnesses and documentarians.

Maryna Chernyavska, Digital Archivist at the University of Alberta Archives and former Researcher and Archivist at the Kule Folklore Centre and the Bohdan Medwidsky Ukrainian Folklore Archives, discussed current risks and challenges of digital preservation, particularly of audiovisual archives, and highlighted the mutual benefits of collaboration between testimony collectors and archival institutions.

The Summer Institute is coordinated by Anna Olenenko, graduate student at the Kule Folklore Centre.

This event marks an important step in ensuring that the testimonies of those who have witnessed the war in Ukraine are collected, preserved, and transformed into enduring elements of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

People from all across Canada would order everything from books to pysanka supplies, Ukrainian dance slippers, and embro...
07/31/2025

People from all across Canada would order everything from books to pysanka supplies, Ukrainian dance slippers, and embroidery threads.

We are pleased to share that this week, Dr. Oleksandr Pankieiev , Director of the Kule Folklore Centre (KuFC) and Kule C...
07/28/2025

We are pleased to share that this week, Dr. Oleksandr Pankieiev , Director of the Kule Folklore Centre (KuFC) and Kule Chair, along with Dr. Natalia Khanenko-Friesen, Huculak Chair, and Dmytro Yesypenko, Sustainable Ukrainian Canadian Heritage (SUCH) Coordinator and Ph.D. candidate at KuFC, presented their research at the XI World Congress of the International Council for Central and East European Studies (ICCEES), held at University College London.

In one of the panels, Dmytro Yesypenko examined how epidemic metaphors illuminate war and trauma in Ukrainian literature. Dr. Anna Antonova, Coordinator of the Disrupted Ukrainian Scholars and Students (DUSS) Program and a valued friend of our Centre, analyzed shifting linguistic identities in war-themed prose through the lens of translation.

At another panel, Dr. Pankieiev delivered a presentation — one of the few at the Congress focused on folklore — titled “The Trickster Motifs in the Digital Folklore of the Russo-Ukrainian War.” He also participated in the roundtable discussion “Russia’s War and the Transformation of World Order ‘from Below’: Disruption, Global Fragmentation, Local Agency, and the Transboundary.”

Dr. Khanenko-Friesen contributed to two roundtables — one on the Ukrainian diaspora and another on archival activism during the war — and chaired the panel “Silenced and Declassified Archives in Eastern Europe.

07/25/2025

🇨🇦🇺🇦 The Ukrainian community bid farewell to Ukraine’s Ambassador to Canada, Her Excellency Yuliya Kovaliv, during an event organized by UCC National - Ukrainian Canadian Congress in Toronto.

Shevchenko Foundation President Boris Balan was honoured to accept recognition from Her Excellency of TSF’s contribution to safeguarding Ukrainian cultural heritage in Canada.

TSF expresses gratitude to the Ambassador for further strengthening Canada-Ukraine relations in partnership with the dedicated Ukrainian community in Canada.

How have Ukrainian wedding traditions evolved in Canada, and how are they linked to identity? At the Kule Folklore Centr...
07/23/2025

How have Ukrainian wedding traditions evolved in Canada, and how are they linked to identity?

At the Kule Folklore Centre, we’re proud to support researchers exploring the richness and diversity of Ukrainian folklore.

Today, we’re excited to share insights from Dr. Sogu Hong’s fascinating research on Ukrainian Canadian wedding traditions. A former PhD student at the Kule Folklore Centre, Dr. Hong now leads Ukrainian Studies at Hankuk University in Seoul.

Dr. Hong’s work shows that Ukrainian Canadians have not simply assimilated into Canadian society. Instead, they have creatively adapted—blending, negotiating, and reinventing their cultural traditions within Canada’s multicultural landscape.

One compelling example dates back to 1931 in Winnipegosis, Manitoba, where couples were already blending folk traditions with modern conveniences—honouring age-old rituals while ordering wedding dresses and bouquets from the Eaton’s catalogue.

We are proud to support groundbreaking work like Dr. Hong’s thesis, “Ukrainian Canadian Weddings as Expressions of Ethnic Identity.”

07/20/2025

As the Heritage Festival approaches, we’d like to remind you about a wonderful mini‑documentary produced by Legacy Films for the Friends of the Ukrainian Folklore Centre, in collaboration with the Kule Folklore Centre.

The film explores how Ukrainian music has developed in Canada, why it’s such an important part of Ukrainian-Canadian identity, and—most intriguingly—what Jingle Bells has in common with Pyrohy and Borscht!

You’ll hear all about it from well-known musicians in the Ukrainian-Canadian community: Travis Dolter, Marissa Karpiak, and Brian Cherwick.

The full documentary is available at the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lmh_0sWRfgk

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250 Old Arts Building, University Of Alberta
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T6G 2E6

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Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm

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